


After Daybreak

by thesometimeswarrior



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family Fluff, Ficlet, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Post-Canon, Post-Series, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, but iroh is a wonderful uncle, ozai's a horrible father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 12:11:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesometimeswarrior/pseuds/thesometimeswarrior
Summary: The first sensation he feels upon waking—even before the deep throb where his chest made contact with Azula’s lightening after he’d hurled himself in front of it—is a hand gently gripping his. “Uncle."Zuko and Iroh, and their reunion after Sozin's Comet.





	After Daybreak

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [close your eyes & swallow the sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8699644) by [ohmygodwhy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmygodwhy/pseuds/ohmygodwhy). 



> I was rereading ohmygodwhy's amazing A:TLA fic _close your eyes & swallow the sun _, and at the end it briefly mentions a reunion scene after the end of the series. And I realized how much I wanted to think about what that conversation would look like. 
> 
> So this is inspired by ohmygodwhy's wonderful work, but hopefully with a little my own hand (and geekishness) showing.

The first sensation he feels upon waking—even before the deep throb where his chest made contact with Azula’s lightening after he’d hurled himself in front of it—is a hand gently gripping his. “Uncle.”

“I am here, Prince Zuko.” Iroh’s voice is warm, and a smile sits comfortably, contentedly—perhaps more contentedly than Zuko has ever seen—on his lips.

He tries to sit up to greet his uncle, but Iroh’s free hand lays itself firmly on Zuko’s shoulder. “Master Katara said that it is best if you do not attempt to sit up just yet.”

“Fine.” Zuko complies, relaxing himself back onto the bed, then continues: “Ba Sing Se is…”

“Free, once more. I stood on the steps of the Palace myself and burned the Fire Nation insigne from its gates. I conquered it…back. Destiny is strange.”

“And everyone…the Order…?”

“Some were injured seriously—the comet enhanced the Fire Nation troop’s abilities as well—but no one fatally.”

This is, at least, a relief. “Shouldn’t you be with them? Your injured troops? As their commander…”

“I am precisely where I should be.”

There is a pause, but a pleasant one, and Zuko allows himself to sit in it, allows himself to breathe, to feel his uncle’s hand on his. _This is where Uncle should be. This is where Uncle_ wants _to be…Here, with_ me….Zuko smiles.

Finally, Uncle breaks the silence. “How are you feeling, Prince Zuko?”

“Well, I’ve been better. But I’ve also been much worse.”

“Yes, I believe that is true.”

“Did Katara tell you what happened?”

“Yes.” He pauses, sighs. “Zuko, I am so proud of you. Not just for your heroics protecting Katara…Not just for how far you have come...I have always been so proud of you. I should have said it more.”

“It’s okay, Uncle. I knew.”

“ _Did_ you?” Uncle’s voice is impossibly quiet, and Zuko can see the doubt in his eyes, knows what he is remembering. 

“Well, I know now.”

“Master Katara also told me how afraid you were that I would not forgive you after what transpired in Ba Sing Se, that I would even _hate_ you…”

“It’s okay, Uncle. You don’t have to—”

“But I _do_ , Prince Zuko.” His voice is gentle, but firm. “I need you to know. And I need to know that I told you. I forgave you long ago. As sad as I was that you seemed to have lost your way, I forgave you before we even left the catacombs. And I could _never_ hate you. Even if in the end you had sided with Ozai and attacked me in battle…I would not have, _could_ not have hated you.”

“But _why_? After what I did to you, after I betrayed you after everything you had done for me…I didn’t deserve—”

“It is not a question of _deserving_ , Prince Zuko,” Iroh interrupts softly, and if he had said it any other way, Zuko might have been embarrassed. But Uncle’s voice is so soft and soothing, that he isn’t. “You are my nephew, and I _love_ you. That is an unconditional fact. Nothing you could do would change it. I should have said that more as well.”

“I…” But the words catch on the lump that has suddenly developed in Zuko’s throat. He wants to say _it's okay,_ wants to say _thank you_ , to say _I love you too_ , but he’s never uttered those words before (he can’t remember ever hearing them before, either, except maybe once, so long ago, from his mother) and he can’t bring his tongue to form them. 

Uncle seems to understand—like he always does and always has—and smiles, reaches to smooth Zuko’s messy hair. After a moment, he speaks. “Now you should rest, Prince Zuko. A man—”

“A man needs his rest. I know, Uncle.”

“I will be here when you wake.”

Zuko believes him, and for the first time in a long while ( _but maybe not the last_ , he thinks) smiles as he lets himself drift back to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I love comments!


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